Cabrera: Same-name DP combo working

Indians shortstop, second baseman share last name

Having two guys, two middle infielders, in Cleveland named Cabrera will probably lead to some confusion. No one has gotten Orlando Cabrera and me confused yet, but I'm sure it's bound to happen.

Everyone calls him "OC" and they call me "AC." We pretty much just have to ignore everyone who yells out or calls us "Cabrera." If someone wants to get our attention, they have to call us by AC or OC.

Orlando is a great guy, and I am happy he is my teammate this year. I met him a few years ago. He's a good player and a really great person. We hung out a lot during Spring Training.

Orlando is a guy who has been playing shortstop his whole career. When he came here, they decided to move him to second base. He got the news and took the challenge. That just shows you what type of guy and teammate he is. He always wants to do what is best for the team.

He has helped me make a couple of adjustments to my game that have been very beneficial. One of the things Orlando specifically helped me with is my swing. He suggested that I put a little pop into my bat and try to hit the ball a bit harder. I know that he knows what he is doing, so I gave it a try during Spring Training. It's been good so far.

I am still a singles guy. I know my game. We have other guys here to hit a lot of home runs. Still, he likes to tell me to use my big swing more.

Orlando is also great to have around the clubhouse. He's very talkative and fun to be around. He's one of those guys that you need on your team. He keeps the guys loose and keeps the team together. He has that veteran presence that younger guys look up to. He has won before, and that is very important.

He has changed teams a lot lately, but I hope Orlando sticks around with the Indians for a while. Nowadays, you never know if you're going to be around the whole year or not. Still, I believe we have a great combination going at second base and shortstop.

Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has been an offensive spark for the Ameican League Central-leading Indians, with his five home runs (one short of his career-high) tied for the club lead and his 21 RBIs tops on the Tribe. His first-year teammate, Orlando Cabrera, has played in close to 1,900 games over his career. This year, he is hitting .277 and is second on the club with 19 RBIs.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.